All That Glitters Here is GOLD!
Written: Aug 08 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great rooms, fun slots, great drinks, lots to do.
Cons: Need more staff on casino floor.
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| longtoni's Full Review: MANDALAY BAY RESORT AND CASINO |
I just returned from yet another trip to Las Vegas, sin city if there ever was one! I loved it. We stayed at Mandalay Bay, one of the best hotels on the Strip. We had heard about how great it was from a friend last year, but decided then to stay at another hotel due to the price. A room at Mandalay begins somewhere around $100, so prepare to open that wallet wide!
On this excursion, we decided to splurge and stay at this great place. Let me tell you, that was $100 very well spent! I booked the room over the Internet using one of the travel sites on my homepage: http://members.tripod.com/tonitown/index.htm. For those who have never been to Vegas, Mandalay Bay is the gold hotel at the South end of the Strip, close to highway 15. It’s huge, very shiny and one of the first hotels you see from highway 15.
When we arrived, we parked in self-parking (valet parking isn’t cheap, you have to wait for your car and trust someone else to drive it) and checked in, a process that took about 20 minutes, which wasn’t the fault of the staff. The people in line before us seemed to have just landed on earth. The questions were crazy and frightening: “Do we get mints on our pillows? Uhh, does our room come with a bed? How do you use the shower? Turn on the water and then what?” Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. My only complaint is that they need to install a seating area for those waiting while someone else checks in.
The Room
Our room was on the 23rd floor and offered a view of the Luxor. The room was great and very roomy! Two queen-sized beds, a large TV, several closets, and a bathroom the size of many apartments. The bathroom was equipped with a shower AND a large bathtub, and a separate little room for the toilet. There were two sinks, five sets of towels, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, mouthwash, bath salts, vanity mirror, sewing kit and Q-tips! My own bathroom doesn’t even have all of this stuff. I used both the shower and tub while I was there and they were both great. If I could have fit them into my overnight bag, I would have brought them back to LA with me! I could have spent my entire time in the large tub with bubbles and bath salts. Instead, I stayed in for about 30 minutes, cleaned up and went to the slots!
Gambling (or Why I Really Came to Vegas)
Mandalay has one of the largest casinos on the Strip. I like the slots, so that’s where I spend most of my time. The casino has a great selection of slots for all types of players. I prefer the nickel slots and Mandalay has a great assortment of those. There are also quarter and dollar slots for those with more money to burn! There is a large area for sports betting with giant screens and comfortable chairs. Lots of different table games can also be found in great numbers.
The staff on the casino floor is great. Playing the nickel slots, I never ran out of drinks. My suggestion, if you want to have fun on the cheap, is play the nickel slots and order drinks. Tipping the waitress the first time around will keep her coming back to take more orders. After the first tip, I tip on every other visit. Mandalay serves top-shelf liquor in its drinks, unlike places like Rio. I was there gambling last year and requested a drink with Absolut. I’m sorry, but I have been drinking long enough to know that Absolut doesn’t taste like window cleaner! You don’t have to worry about things like that at Mandalay. There you get nothing but the best!
Downside to the casino floor is the amount of time you have to wait if your machine hits a jackpot. The average wait I noticed was about 10-15 minutes. I think they make you wait that long so that you will continue to gamble and lose more money.
If you like to gamble, I suggest joining Club Mandalay where you get a card to place in all the machines and at the tables. This card keeps track of points awarded based on how much you win and lose, and the points can later be redeemed for credits, discounts or merchandise. I suggest you get this even if you don’t plan to gamble a lot. At least you can get something for the money you lose. Also, the cards do not expire.
Food (or What You Need to Give You Energy to Gamble)
What to do when you’re hungry and need a break from gambling! Mandalay offers many different restaurants to choose from. The Mandalay has a House of Blues located near the casinos and many top acts play there (D’Angelo was there during my stay); Aureole if you want to drop a lot of money for very good food; Raffles Café if you want something to eat and it’s past 3am; Rumjungle if you like Brazilian and want to sample exotic rums; The Noodle Shop; and lots of other places to fit nearly all tastes.
However, when in Vegas, I’m a buffet kind of girl. I had breakfast at the Bayside Buffet and was completely satisfied. The breakfast buffet was $10 and had a large assortment of breakfast foods. Waffles, French toast, sausage, bacon, eggs, cereals, fresh fruit, yogurt, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, and more! I recommend heading to breakfast at about 10am. Most buffets bring out the lunch food around 11am or so. So, if you want breakfast and lunch, but for the breakfast price, this is the way to go. From the lunch menu, I sampled the pizza, grilled chicken, pork potstickers and salad. The staff at the buffet is very attentive and helpful. I had the strongest coffee on this side of the Atlantic, which kept me very alert at the slots! Note about buffets: be prepared to wait about 15-20 minutes to be seated, longer if it's the weekend. For other restaurants, I suggest calling ahead for reservations.
The Hotel
The decor of the hotel is beautiful. You walk into the lobby where registration is located and there is a huge aquarium filled with exotic fish and coral. There is tons of light streaming in from all the windows and it looks like a bit of heaven. There are also two birdcages with the most interesting parrots I’ve ever seen. One parrot was very well trained; it performed songs and constantly said hello and referred to itself as pretty bird. This same parrot also began to say “Help! Help!” in that funny bird voice. I wondered if maybe the bird had seen something it wasn’t suppose to and this was a form of witness protection or if it’s trainer had a weird sense of humor. Either way, I was entertained while I waited to checkout. The hotel also has a gorgeous manmade beach and 3 pools where you can lounge out in the sun. I decided to forgo this experience since it was only 110 degrees while I was there!
If you want to visit surrounding casinos and hotels, there is a tram that runs from Mandalay to Luxor to Excalibur. The Mandalay Theater offers lots of top entertainment with acts like Bill Cosby. There’s also the Coral Reef Lounge if you like live music and dancing. Mandalay also offers the Shark Reef that houses over 100 sharks with admission prices ranging from $10 to $13.
I would greatly recommend Mandalay Bay if you want to stay at a great place and be treated like royalty. If this place is too rich for your blood, stay at a cheaper place and come to Mandalay to gamble and sample the buffet. My promise is that whatever route you choose, you will not be disappointed or sorry that you stopped by Mandalay!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
longtoni
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Member: Toni
Location: Pasadena
Reviews written: 62
Trusted by: 25 members
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